June 13 - Convinced?

Read: Luke 16:19-31

He said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from lthe dead." (Luke 16:31 ESV)

The distinguishing characteristic of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That historical event is the dividing line between Christianity and all other faiths. The resurrection of Jesus sparked something in a small group of people in a small place in a small part of the world that went on to impact all of the world. And it happened because the followers of Jesus were convinced that he really did rise from death.

Jesus' story about Lazarus and the Rich man was meant to be a convicting one. They were a people in need of convincing and conviction, two things missing in the religious system of the day. They wanted signs. They wanted miracles. They wanted proof about Jesus' identity.

He told them that he would die and come back, and they didn't understand him. He performed countless miracles and they didn't believe in him. He laid our he framework for divinely inspired conviction, and they remained entirely unconvinced.

What does it take to convince you and I? Are we hard-headed and stubborn? Do we see truth for truth? Do we go to the bible for truth and conviction? If it was good enough for the people in Jesus' story it is good enough for us.

June 12 - It Was Fitting

Read: Luke 15:11-32

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:32 ESV)

Have you ever lost something dear to you? What happened when you found it? Losing stuff is a big pet peeve of mine so when it does happen I am dearly invested in finding it. I get really excited when I find something I have lost.

Jesus was clear in his famous story about the prodigal son. The Father celebrates lost things. He loves to celebrate lost things. Furthermore, He refuses to allow anything, including self righteous religious people, to get in the way of His welcoming celebration.

Outside of God we are dead. Lostness, life not lived under the saving grace of Jesus, is death. Salvation restores us to God. The Father loves and longs to celebrate that. He even goes so far as to say that celebrating the return of a lost son or daughter is expected. It is fitting.

June 11 - Joy Before Angels

Read: Luke 15:8-10

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10 ESV)

Joy is an incredible thing. A fruit of the spirit, it is arguably not spoken about enough. Rejoicing is the sudden outburst of joy. It is a spontaneous party erupting out of the unforeseen awesome.

Jesus told his audience that heaven rejoices over the salvation of someone. Just imagine that. Your salvation was and is the the cause for rejoicing across eternity. Heaven will be a glorious gathering of saints as we come together to exalt God and declare the wonders of His goodness toward us.

Have you been the cause of joy before angels? If you're in. The family of God, if you have started a life loved under the saving blood of Jesus, then the answer is yes. Heaven rejoices for you.

June 10 - After the One

Read: Luke 15:1-7

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? (Luke 15:4 ESV)

On our farm when I was growing up it was very common for my dad to go looking for a cow if it was separated from the herd. He would throw all of his effort into finding the missing animal and bring it back to the group. Jesus' parable about lost sheep teaches that God reacts much the same way over lost people.

We are silly, selfish, and dumb by default. Left to our own devices we would choose our own destruction over and over again—without even realizing it. This is what it means to be lost. We are wanderers. We are separated from God by our sins of omission and commission.

How amazing that He would initiate the rescue. That he cared enough about us to come and save us. The point to be learned is that each of us have incredible value and worth. We are worth so much that God would redeem us by the sacrificial death of His only Son. He would graft us into family.

Let me ask, are you among the one? Have you been brought back into the fold? It only takes a moment to ask.

March 24 - Who Is My Neighbor?

Read: Luke 10: 29-37

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29 ESV)

As Jesus conversed with the lawyer the inquisitive fellow sought to refine his opinion. Jesus had just offered him gentle correction and the laywer was interested in justifying his position. The issue in question was the notion of loving people, or as Jesus had just told everyone loving your neighbor as yourself.

As thinkers are often prone to do the unnamed questioner got hung up on one word. "Who is my neighbor?" He asked. Jesus response came in the form of the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus told the story in language and terms the common people listening would have well understood. He painted an accurate picture of the times as he explained the way the religious leadership abandoned the felt needs of the ransacked traveller. I imagine that the listeners found the story either scandalously truthful and full of conviction, or mocking and hardened their hearts.

Jesus answer to the question of neighborhood was perfect. A neighbor is not just someone who lives nearby as we are sometimes inclined to believe. A neighbor is anyone. Someone in proximity to us. Someone in need. Someone society has rejected.

Jesus' definition of neighbor is challenging. It calls us to abandon our small-minded love to embrace and pursue a bigger kind of love that ministers to anyone and everyone in need. His words show us that we do not have the right to minister only to those we find acceptable or similar. Loving our neighbor as ourself is so much bigger than we so often want to realize.